NEWS

Shenzhen Maker Week Kicks Off Friday

11 Sep 2017

The 3rd Shenzhen Maker Week and the 2017 Mass Innovation and Entrepreneurship Week (Shenzhen Venue) kicked off in the city on Friday. The weeklong event was attended by maker teams from China and 15 countries, according to a press conference held Friday.

Liang Yongsheng, director of the city’s science and technology innovation commission, said nearly 50 activities will be held across the city during the maker week under the theme of “Make with Shenzhen.”

According to him, the main venue in Hall 7 and 8 of the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian District will have 317 exhibition booths showcasing the creations of makers.

An international maker exhibition area was also be set up in the main venue to showcase nearly 40 outstanding maker projects from overseas.

In a bid to fulfill the open and sharing spirit of makers, the maker week will provide family-friendly experiences for the public, with interactive activities, such as drone performances, robot combat and AR/VR experiences, available in the main venue. Competitions and workshops for students have also been arranged to encourage young people in Shenzhen to be innovative.

Additionally, the maker week will be an international event, with prominent makers and entrepreneurs from Belt and Road countries to attend the Belt and Road International Maker Summit to be held in Longgang District.

Slush Up, a maker carnival, was held in Futian District on Saturday to provide a platform for global makers to discuss the latest, trending topics in the maker community, Liang said.

According to Wu You, deputy secretary general of the city government, there are more than 9,690 State-level high-tech companies in Shenzhen.

He said the city government earmarks 500 million yuan (US$74 million) for local makers each year, while many maker centers in the city receive subsidies from the government to improve the services available for makers.

The first Shenzhen Maker Week was launched in 2015. Last year’s maker week was attended by over 500,000 participants and visitors from 35 countries and regions.